A consultative itinerant approach to service delivery: considerations for the early childhood community.
OBJECTIVE
This article, written by experts in itinerant early childhood special education, describes and differentiates approaches to itinerant early childhood special education as a primary service delivery option. Consultative itinerant early childhood special education services, in particular, are a means of ensuring that young children with disabilities have access to the general early childhood curriculum as offered in community-based programs.


METHODS
A discussion of the empirical literature that supports a consultative approach, literature that focuses on behavioral consultation and principles of distributed practice and embedded learning opportunities, is included. In addition, this article outlines a set of assumptions that program personnel make when implementing a consultative itinerant approach to service delivery. The need for and challenges associated with a consultative itinerant approach are discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
Itinerant early childhood special educators face similar challenges as speech-language pathologists with regard to providing high-quality interventions to children in inclusive settings.
Dinnebeil
Laurie
L
University of Toledo, Early Childhood, Physical, Special Education, Toledo, OH, USA. laurie.dinnebeil@utoledo.edu
Pretti-Frontczak
Kristie
K
McInerney
William
W
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000628:therapy; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D004519:Education, Special / Q000379:methods; D004777:Environment; D005178:Faculty; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D024382:Professional Role; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*